


And Then They Were Five:  Part Two The Party

by ReidFan



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-08 22:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7776103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReidFan/pseuds/ReidFan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Melissa, Spencer and Anna hold a reveal party......and Penelope and JJ have other ideas</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Anna raced around helping to put up the last of the streamers and decorations, all of which were baby themed but not gender specific. Miraculously, Melissa reflected, it hadn’t been difficult to find them. She’d assumed everything would be pink or blue but this wasn’t the case and the lower level of their house was now festooned with a grand assortment of baby adornments.

 

“We’re overdoing it,” Melissa thought aloud, even as Anna found a bag containing more balloons and immediately started tearing it open. Balloons flew everywhere and Anna and Melissa collapsed in fits of giggles. 

 

“Look, Mommy! There’s pink ones and blue ones!” Anna announced, and Melissa remembered why she’d set this particular bag aside earlier.

 

“No, Honey, not these ones,” Melissa told her, gathering them all up and putting them back in the bag. 

 

“Okay Mommy,” Anna took the bag of balloons and ran upstairs to her room with them. Melissa wondered what that was all about but decided against questioning her. The party was due to start in an hour and Melissa was still waiting for two deliveries. And she was supposed to pick up one more item but had managed to convince Spencer to do this one errand. He’d left thirty minutes earlier and she expected him home momentarily.

 

Muttli had been especially well behaved with all the goings on of the day; sniffing at the intrusive large box and padding around behind Anna as she affixed streamers to walls. He learned after only one popping incident, not to touch the balloons and Melissa laughed as he carefully picked his way around any more of the offending spheres. Suddenly, the dog rushed to the large picture window at the front of the living room. His nose pushed aside the sheer curtain and his tail wagged madly but he wasn’t barking. Melissa followed, and saw that her car was backing into the driveway just as the florist’s delivery truck was arriving.

 

She rushed to the front door to hold it open as Spencer carried in an enormous cake box. Muttli sniffed the air but was more concerned with the stranger coming up to his house and Spencer proceeded to the dining room table unhindered by the dog. The floral deliveryman made four trips back and forth from his truck to the house, under the careful supervision of the canine. Melissa held the door open as he came in for the fourth time, setting the last of the floral arrangements on the floor in the hallway as she’d directed.

 

 Melissa thanked him as they shook hands; he offered his congratulations and thanked her for the tip she’d pressed into his palm. Shutting the door behind him, Melissa turned and released a happy sigh, the flowers were all white and beautiful and they filled the entire house with a gentle lovely scent. Spencer returned from the dining room and enveloped her in a hug.

 

Anna came downstairs and stopped on the last one, watching her parents hug. Muttli toddled over to her and poked his nose into her knees. Anna sat down on the step and hugged the dog giggling when he pushed his nose into her hands. 

 

“No food, Muttli, sorry!” she told him, then stood up and called out, “My Daddy!” before jumping off the last stair and launching herself at Spencer. He released Melissa from their hug and stooped to catch Anna as she descended upon him.

 

“Look at the house, Daddy! Isn’t it beautiful?!”

He smiled and nodded agreement, setting her back down on her feet just as Muttli started barking and pushed between them, pawing at the door. Melissa called Muttli to follow her and she took him out into the backyard for a minute then directed him into his kennel. She gave him a dog biscuit and a few minutes of loving attention and then apologised to him,

 

“I’m sorry Muttli, but you are gonna hafta chill in here tonight. The house will be full of people and I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

 

He circled around in his kennel once, twice then dropped down and curled up to sleep.

 

Through the door’s window, Reid could see the party rentals company truck in the driveway. He opened the door to admit the driver who was bringing in the dozen folding chairs and four small tray tables they’d rented for the night. Reid set everything up in the living room. The man went back out to his truck then returned with a large sheet of particleboard. He followed Reid into the dining room and leaned the sheet up against a wall.

 

“Can you move that stuff off the table for me, please, Sir?” the man asked. 

 

Reid took the cake into the kitchen and set it on the table there then returned and removed the large gift boxes to the floor by the window in the back of the dining room. He helped the man take the particleboard sheet and laid it on top of the table, effectively doubling the size of the table. Melissa brought in the tablecloth she’d ordered and covered the particleboard with it. She thanked the man and walked him out and Spencer retrieved the cake. He took it out of the bakery box and set it down in the centre of the table. It was two-tiered and covered in white icing, decorated in a baby motif in muted yellow and pale green.

 

They took a break, stepped back and surveyed their handiwork and Spencer drew Melissa into a hug. “I hope this is okay, Melissa. JJ and Garcia decided to turn this Reveal Party into a full-blown baby shower. They’ve been plotting all week apparently and I happened to overhear something about diapers in the lunchroom yesterday. They asked if it would be okay. I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but you know how good I am about keeping anything from you.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Melissa laughed, “I guess that’s fair, Spencer, the girls at the massage therapy clinic had a shower for me last month.”

 

The bell rang and Spencer opened it to admit David Rossi and his ex-wife Hayden, Tara Lewis and Jack and Aaron Hotchner, each of whom was holding at least one box of diapers along with gifts wrapped in baby themed paper. Laughing, Melissa directed the diaper boxes to be stacked in the playroom, a job that Anna and Jack quickly assumed. Spencer pinned safety pins to the front of each of their shirts. Melissa held out her hand as they all gave her the baby photos they’d been asked in advance to provide. She taped them all up to the board she’d put up on the wall in the dining room.

 

Rossi appointed himself bartender and immediately opened wine bottles and served Hotch and Lewis. Melissa was drinking sparkling water and Spencer went into the kitchen to get Jack and Anna each some apple juice. As the other guests arrived, each adult was adorned with a safety pin and each had remembered to bring a baby photo, which Melissa duly added to the collection in the dining room. 

 

The doorbell rang and Melissa answered it. Penelope Garcia stood before her and asked,

 

“I need some muscles to come down to my car and give me a hand. Or two.”

 

Hotch was standing right behind Melissa and immediately volunteered to help Garcia, passing off his wine glass to Rossi. He helped Garcia bring an enormous box up to the house from her car. They made two more trips to bring in a total of five boxes of diapers from the trunk of Garcia’s car. As they made their final trip, the LaMontagne family walked up the driveway, a backpack wearing JJ pushing Michael in his stroller, Will carrying several gifts and Henry pulling a wagon with an enormous package and many smaller ones in it.

 

After each adult had been pinned, Rossi passed around more wine glasses and JJ took off her backpack and headed for the kitchen. Anna and Jack helped Henry unload the gifts from the wagon and JJ and Will hefted the enormous one wrapped in baby themed paper and added it to the growing pile in the living room. She directed the children to put the others on the floor in the dining room by the photo board. JJ pulled a pad of notepaper from the backpack, tore two sheets from the pad and then folded and tore each of those into a dozen pieces. She centered herself amidst the guests and asked,

 

“Diapers. Who brought diapers?” She gave each person who acknowledged doing so a slip of paper. 

 

“I brought five,” Garcia told her. JJ laughed and handed four more slips to Garcia. 

 

“Write your name on the paper,” JJ directed them all, and then put an empty decorated box on the small table next to the courier box Melissa had set there days ago. “Put the papers in here, and later we’ll have a draw for one of the prizes.” She paused significantly and then said, “What prizes you ask?” In a grand gesture, she indicated the packages Henry, Anna and Jack had piled in the dining room. 

 

Within the next few minutes, Kate and her husband Chris, Alex and James Blake, Emily and all three of the Morgans arrived. Savannah carried the car seat bearing her sleeping son into the living room where she took a seat and set him down next to her. Derek made several trips back and forth to the car, bringing half a dozen boxes of diapers and two wrapped gifts, the larger of which he put with the others piled in the living room, the other he handed to Spencer immediately.

 

“What’s this?” Reid asked him.

 

“Something for you, Pretty Boy. I should’ve given this to you right away though. Go ahead, open it.”

 

Reid obliged, unwrapping a book and breaking into laughter, “The New Dad’s Survival Guide,” he read aloud, showing it off to all those assembled and inciting laughter all around. 

 

“It’ll save your butt, Kid. Trust me,” Morgan clapped his arm around Reid’s shoulder. “And you’ll have it read in five or ten minutes, too, I bet.”

 

The new arrivals were all pinned and their photographs added to the board. Rossi ensured everyone had wine—or apple juice—and Emily and Penelope joined JJ in the kitchen. Melissa followed but was quickly shooed out.

 

“We got this,” the ladies informed her.

 

“Just wanted to get some snacks out for the kids,” Melissa replied.

 

“Where? We’ll take care of it,” JJ told her. Melissa opened a few cupboards and drawers and quickly returned to the party. They took chips and vegetables and dip into the playroom where the children had assembled. Michael was sitting in his playpen and JJ gave him a couple of Arrowroot biscuits along with some milk in a sippy cup. The older children sat at the crafts table and promised they’d look after Michael for her. 

 

They returned to the kitchen. Emily and Penelope followed JJ’s instructions as they made preparations for a few other party games she’d planned.

 

Once ready, the three women joined the others in the living room. Rossi immediately served them wine and JJ, carrying her backpack, called for everyone’s attention.

 

“The pins you’re wearing? Here’s the deal. From here on in tonight, nobody is to say the word baby until the reveal. If you hear someone say baby, you take their pin. Whoever has the most pins at the end of the night, gets a prize.” Again she paused for effect, laughed and said, “What prize you say?” and everyone gestured towards the dining room laughing.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Okay, first game. I think the best way to do this will be couples.” 

 

Lewis and Hotchner, both of whom had come without a date, decided to pair up for the games, and Hotch immediately swapped chairs with Hayden Rossi so he’d be seated next to Lewis.

 

 “And I guess Emily and Penelope can be a couple for this.” JJ smiled as they all laughed. 

 

She handed out huge bibs and everyone put them on, then handed each player a spoon. “Okay this game is called ‘Feed the infant.’ The object here is to spoon feed each other,” she said as she passed each couple a small jar of applesauce. “But,” she paused until she had everyone’s attention, then she dug into her backpack and removed several blindfolds, “We’re gonna make it interesting. Will?” she directed, “I need you to time everybody.”

 

He nodded and drew out his iPhone. Blindfolded, one couple at a time proceeded to feed each other the applesauce and Will timed them all. When it was the LaMontagnes’ turn at the applesauce, Garcia presided over the timer.  The adults made spectacular messes of themselves and the children stood by the doorway transfixed by the sight and laughing uproariously.

 

“Well this is awesome, we have a judging panel too,” JJ said. “Okay guys, who do you think probably ate the most of their applesauce?”

 

Jack and Henry eyed each bib carefully, deliberated with Anna and then as spokesman, Jack asked, “Who had the best time?”

 

Will scrolled through his phone data and told them “Derek Morgan, by 1.2 seconds at 14.8 seconds.”

 

The three children approached Derek and checked his bib again, then moved to Will and checked his bib. 

 

“What was your time, Daddy?” Henry asked. Garcia checked her phone, and replied “16 seconds even.”

 

Jack, Henry and Anna deliberated again then Jack announced, “I think both Mr. Morgan and Henry’s dad should be the winners. Mr. Morgan has the best time, but Detective LaMontagne’s bib is less messy.”

 

They applauded and then the children returned to Michael in the playroom.

 

JJ laughed, “It’s not a surprise that the two most recent fathers are the best eaters, and the mothers the best feeders.” Savannah Morgan laughed as she accepted the wrapped prize JJ handed to her; baby Hank Spencer slept soundly in his car seat at her feet. Will accepted the envelope containing his prize. JJ and Penelope collected all the bibs and put them in a plastic bag, setting that aside in the kitchen. As she passed by them on her way back into the party, Penelope heard Derek ask Savannah,

 

“What’d you get, baby?”

 

Wordlessly, Penelope stopped in front of the Morgans and took the pin off Derek’s sweater, pinning it to herself. 

 

“Aw, Baby Girl,” Derek started and quickly rolled his eyes and shut up.

 

Rossi made a quick tour of the room, intending to verify all still had wine and JJ interrupted him. 

 

“Wait up there, Rossi. Game number two coming up. This one’s called ‘Drink Up.’ Ladies?” she directed, and Emily, Savannah and Penelope joined her in the kitchen. They filled a dozen baby bottles with beer and carried them back into the living room just as the doorbell rang. JJ detoured to answer the door and admitted Mateo Cruz.

 

“Sorry I’m late, I was tied up in the office,” he apologised, handing over a box of diapers and a photograph, and adding a gift to the enormous pile on the living room floor. JJ wrote his name on a paper and put it in the raffle box and as he joined the others in the living room, Rossi met him with a glass of wine and Reid pinned him, quickly explaining what it was for.

 

“Okay,” JJ began, “Everyone gets a baby bottle of beer. Oh, except you, obviously, Melissa. First person to finish their bottle gets,” she stepped into the dining room and came back with a gift bag, “this lovely prize. Oh damn, I miscounted. There are fourteen of us, but only twelve bottles.”

 

Savannah waved off, explaining she was still nursing and as such drank no alcohol.

 

Reid handed his bottle to Cruz, insisting he didn’t drink beer. “I’ll officiate,” Reid offered, “Everybody ready?” He looked around the room and then paused to get his cell phone out of his pocket. He swiped through to the camera app and started it, then pointed it at the group and said, “And GO!”

 

Drinking from a baby bottle was a lot more difficult than the party guests had anticipated. Drinking _beer_ from a baby bottle was even more difficult, given the carbonation. There was coughing and sputtering and laughing before a winner finally emerged. James Blake was the first to put an empty bottle down.

 

Alex jumped up to congratulate him with a hug amid much laughter. As JJ presented Blake with his prize, Garcia tapped Reid on the shoulder,

 

“I want that footage.”

 

“What?” he asked, momentarily confused. Garcia took his iPhone from him and said,

 

“I’ll give this back to you in a couple of minutes.”

 

“Okay,” he shrugged as he joined the circle watching James Blake open his prize.

 

“Whoa! A twenty year old bottle of scotch!” he enthused, cradling it protectively in his arms.

 

Again, JJ collected all the baby bottles and removed them to the kitchen. The nipples were all tossed in the garbage, and the bottles JJ placed in the dishwasher. Melissa followed her into the kitchen to replenish her sparkling water. 

 

“Hope this is okay, with new nipples, you can actually use these bottles when the baby comes.”

 

“I can’t thank you enough, JJ, for all you’ve obviously done for this party! When you asked if you could bring a few things, I had no idea you were planning all this. Thank you.”

 

They shared a hug and both were dangerously close to tears. 

 

“You’re welcome, Melissa. You know I’d do anything for you and Spence. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind that Penelope and I are pretty much hijacking this into a baby shower.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

JJ had collected all the spoons from the earlier game and now washed and dried them all. There were eight jars of baby food on the countertop in the kitchen and she handed Melissa a black Sharpie and asked her to number the bottom of each one through eight. She wrote down the numbers and beside each number listed the jar’s contents then folded that piece of paper and put it in her pocket. 

 

“Okay, could you take the labels off those please, Melissa?” JJ tore a dozen sheets of paper from the pad and wrote one guest’s name on the top of each piece, and the numbers one through eight horizontally under the name. 

 

They took the spoons, papers and now label-less jars into the living room. Melissa handed each person the paper bearing his or her name and a spoon. JJ explained the game to them all,

 

“This game’s called ‘Guess the food.’ You’re going to take a spoonful from the jar, guess what it is and write down your answer next to the corresponding number on your paper. When you’re done, give me the paper and I’ll score it. And the person with the most correct answers,” she paused, gestured towards the pile of prize gifts in the dining room and twelve voices called out in unison, “gets a prize!” amid much laughter. 

 

“Oh, Lord, this is awful!” Tara Lewis nearly gagged. “This is like the unsub of food! And it’s jar number one! I still have seven to choke my way through.” She considered for a moment then wrote down what she thought it might be. This procedure was repeated several times, each taste progressively worse than the last in her opinion. The others laughed. Until it was their turn. One by one, Kate, Chris, Alex and James tried each with varying but similar to Tara’s results.

 

“Who would feed this to their baby!?” Alex voiced. 

 

Garcia caught Blake’s attention, made a face and reached for the safety pin on Blake’s blouse.

 

“Oh dammit,” she realised her mistake, “I forgot.”

 

“Forgot what?” her husband asked.

 

“We’re not supposed to say, uh, um, that word that rhymes with maybe,” Kate reminded. 

 

Melissa and Spencer checked on the children and Muttli, who was sound asleep in his kennel. They returned to the party just as Blake made her mistake.

 

Garcia now had three pins on her sweater, Reid noted, pointing it out to Melissa.

 

After seeing the reactions to the food from the four who preceded them, both David and Hayden Rossi passed on the game.

 

Hotchner gave Rossi a look. Emily rolled her eyes and said, “David Rossi. Don’t be such a big baby.”

 

Garcia turned when she heard Emily speak. 

 

“Oh. Not you too!” she admonished as she reached for the pin on Emily’s shirt.

 

“Dammit!” 

 

JJ handed one of the jars each to Emily and Penelope. 

 

“I’ll bring the others when Derek and Savannah are done with them,” she explained. Both women resumed their seats and set about taste testing.

 

“Ugh, this is, this,” Emily sputtered, “I’d rather lick the floor.”

 

Behind JJ, Derek was having a similar problem. “This stuff is disgusting. Please tell me you don’t give this to Hank Spencer?”

 

Savannah feigned being offended. “Derek! Really? You think I would feed this slop to my baby?” 

 

Derek laughed and reached for his wife’s pin. “You didn’t just say, you know,” as he made a big production of pinning himself.

 

“Oh, crap,” Savannah said, and then checked the bottom of the jar she had just eaten from. “Number two. How appropriate. It tastes like it could be just that.”

 

Derek laughed heartily, and Garcia leaned across Savannah and asked,

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“What is it, Baby Gir—oh dammit.”

 

Garcia struck a prideful pose and ceremoniously took the pin from Morgan’s chest.”

 

Mateo Cruz sat next to Aaron Hotchner and hoped the jars would all be empty before they got to him. Savannah handed another jar over to JJ who relayed it to Emily and Penelope. She took the jars they were done with and stood before Hotchner and Cruz.

 

Cruz held up his hand, “I’ll pass, and don’t call me a, you know,” he warned Hotchner. Both men laughed, though Hotch didn’t find it very funny when JJ presented him with the jars.

 

He took a small spoonful of an orange coloured food and made a face when he tasted it. He took another spoonful of a green food and steeled himself as he tasted it. He made the same face and Cruz broke into laughter.

 

“You have the same look on your face when you’re interrogating an unsub,” Cruz told him.

 

“Or going over Victimology,” Prentiss contributed.

 

“And when he’s filling out reports,” JJ intoned.

 

“Shut up, all of you,” Hotchner said, trying to look stern and there was another chorus of laughter. The ringing doorbell interrupted them. The noise set Muttli off. He barked furiously from his kennel in the back room.

 

“That’s the caterer,” Melissa said, noting the time. “Would you mind getting the door, Spence? I want to go settle Muttli.”

 

She made her way to the back room and found Anna, Jack and Henry there with Muttli, still in his kennel.

 

“Mrs. Reid, could we take the dog outside to the yard for a while? The poor guy’s been locked up in here all this time.”

 

Melissa squeezed Jack’s shoulder and thanked him, telling him she appreciated his thoughtfulness and was sure Muttli probably did too.

 

“The food’s here though, I don’t want you guys to miss it. Let me just give Muttli a dog biscuit and a chance to come and get a drink and after you’ve eaten, you can take him out into the yard.”

 

After quickly tending to the dog, Melissa returned to the party, JJ and Spencer had ushered the catering team into the house. They’d set up their service in the kitchen and were in the process of bringing all the dishes in from their truck. 

 

Reid, Rossi and Morgan brought seven of the folding chairs into the dining room, squeezing them in around the eight chairs already in place at the table, then invited everybody to get their plates filled by the caterers in the kitchen and return to the dining room. It was tight, but cozy and everyone was soon enjoying a variety of salads, canapés, spring rolls, crostini, crab puffs, stuffed mushrooms and satay skewers. There was baked salmon and roast beef with all the traditional accompaniments and Rossi finally relinquished wine pouring duties to the caterer and took a seat between Hayden and Savannah to enjoy his own dinner.

 

After everyone had eaten, the caterers swiftly cleared away all the dishes; wrapped and stowed leftovers in the refrigerator and allowed Rossi to resume presiding over the wine as they left. Penelope and JJ insisted Melissa stay with the party guests while they made tea and coffee for the few that accepted offers and then returned to the dining room. Melissa rose from her chair and asked the children to join them. Michael had fallen asleep in the playpen, Hank Spencer was still sleeping in his car seat but the three older children sat on the floor in front of Derek and Savannah next to the baby. 

 

Melissa extended her hand out to Spencer, beckoning him to join her, and as he did so he directed Anna to come with him. Standing between her parents, Anna could barely contain her excitement. Melissa laid one hand on her daughter’s shoulder and addressed the group,

 

“Thank you all for coming tonight, JJ and Penelope for putting the entertainment together and just doing all this for us. I’m overwhelmed to have such great friends. We are truly grateful.” Spencer squeezed her shoulder and nodded his agreement, and encouragement to continue. “We are going to have cake in a couple of minutes, but there’s a couple of things we need to do first I think. Something about revealing?”

 


	5. Chapter 5

The group all started laughing and more than one bid to get on with it was heard. Melissa continued,

 

“We actually have a few steps, and I’m gonna have Anna start. Honey?” She indicated one of the two large boxes sitting beside the table. Derek handed it over to Melissa who set it on the floor in front of Anna. Half a dozen cell phones clicked and cameras turned on as Anna looked up to Melissa.

 

“I can open this one Mommy?” she asked. Melissa nodded and Anna tore open the teddy bear wrapping, to reveal a cardboard box under the paper. She had difficulty getting the box open, the flaps had been carefully taped down and Spencer stooped down to Anna’s level to help her open it up. Finally, she pulled back the flaps and a collective intake of breath could be heard as she pulled out one and then a second teddy bear wearing matching white “Daddy is a genius” t-shirts.

 

Anna of course, already knew there were two babies but Spencer and Melissa stood back and watched as the guests absorbed the information. Puzzled looks turned to wonder and delight as one by one, the members of the BAU past and present realised what they were seeing. Finally, Aaron Hotchner stepped forward, camera still recording, and offered Spencer a handshake then hugged Melissa as he voiced what everyone else was wondering,

 

“Twins?”

 

Melissa’s eyes were filled with unshed tears and Spencer could barely nod as Anna answered for all of them.

 

“Two babies! I get two babies!” Anna cried delightedly.

 

It took an inordinate amount of time for everyone to get their chance to offer hugs and congratulations and Anna waited patiently, knowing there was another big box to open.

 

Finally, it was Garcia’s turn to offer hugs and congratulations and she stood between the parents-to-be with one arm around each of them.

 

“This is a new take on ‘reveal’. Leave it to Reid to pull this off. It never occurred to me or JJ, did it?” She looked to JJ for confirmation and got a quick nod before she continued, “That there was two! And you!” she gave Spencer a playful shove, “You’ve known this for a while, and you brought in the one bear with the genius onesie but you knew there were two!” 

 

He laughed and protested, “No, at that time, I didn’t know either. But after the ultrasound, I was sworn to secrecy!”

 

“Well we know now! There are two little geniuses on the way.”

 

“Mommy, can we open the other box?” Anna had finally reached the limit of her patience.

 

“There’s more?” Penelope asked.

 

Melissa nodded, indicating the other box. “This part of the reveal will be a surprise to us too, Pen. Spence?” 

 

Derek handed over the other large box and Spencer set it on the floor in front of everyone. The three of them unwrapped the box together, and carefully opened the flaps to allow the balloons inside to float upwards. A chorus of oohs and ahs accompanied the rising of the two spheres, one pink and one blue. Inside the box was the notation from the sonographer detailing the babies’ genders. Anna squealed in delight and Melissa threw her arms around her daughter,

 

“You were right, Sweet Pea! You’re having a sister and a brother!”

 

Again, the friends descended on the three Reids to congratulate them and then Melissa directed Spencer to cut and serve cake. The cake was decorated predominantly in yellow and white but everyone laughed as Spencer cut into it and found a pink layer and a blue layer inside. He looked to Melissa.

 

“You knew? You ordered the cake?”

 

Melissa shook her head and laughed. “Nope. I had the ultrasound office seal an envelope with the genders inside. Took that to the party shop, along with the box to pack them in, and asked them to open the envelope and put in the correct balloons. I asked them to call the bakery and let them know too, but not to tell you or me.”

 

The three children received the first pieces of cake after which Jack repeated the request to take Muttli outside. 

 

“Thank you so much, Jack. Anna, take a few of Muttli’s toys outside with you.”

 

Rossi made the rounds with the wine bottles again and Garcia asked if the Reids would be opening the gifts soon. JJ sat behind her, still scoring the Name The Food papers, and paused as she realised they had yet to finish the Name The Baby game. Standing up, she called for everyone’s attention again.

 

“Earlier, Melissa gathered up all the pictures you brought with you tonight and wrote your names on the backs of them. She’s put them up in three rows of five on that board over there,” JJ indicated the board with one hand, “So it’s row A, row B, row C and pictures one through five. Penelope?”

 

Garcia rose and gave each participant a piece of paper and a pen as JJ continued.

 

“The game is to identify as many of the us as possible. On those papers, write the location, for example, A1, and which one of us you think that person is. Write your name at the top and hand your completed ballot in to me. The person with the most correct answers,” she paused dramatically, breaking into a smile when she heard a chorus of ‘wins a prize’ and saw a dozen arms gesture towards the dining room. “And if Penelope will kindly don the Miss Secretary hat, I will grade your papers if Melissa and Spencer start opening gifts.”

 

“Where’s the Miss Secretary hat, JJ? You didn’t tell me you brought a hat. Is it in the backpack?” Garcia wanted to know.

 

JJ laughed, “There’s no actual hat, Penelope. It’s a figure of speech. Someone hands Melissa one of the gifts, she opens the card, gives it to you and then you write on the back of the card what the gift was.”

 

“Oh! Okay. I can do that.”

 

“Dammit, I need a diaper,” JJ stated.

 


	6. Chapter 6

“What?” Will wondered aloud if she’d lost her mind.

 

“It’s for the hat. The bow hat. Melissa knows.” JJ explained. Savannah dug through Hank Spencer’s diaper bag and handed JJ a diaper from it. 

 

JJ shook it open and handed it to Melissa, who was ushered into the armchair. Spencer perched on the arm beside her and wondered what the diaper’s significance was.

 

Garcia spoke up, “Okay, everyone, Name That you know, the word that rhymes with maybe. And go,” she directed. Several guests made their way to the board to study the baby pictures and Garcia picked up forks and empty cake plates, taking them into the kitchen and loading them into the dishwasher. She did another circuit of the living room, picking up cups and saucers and removing them to the kitchen as well. On her third trip, she stopped to do her own research for Name That Baby.

 

One by one, the partiers handed in their papers to JJ and took their seats. Rossi made another round with the wine bottles, emptying the white and had to detour to the refrigerator to get another bottle. He spotted the sparkling water and took that one along to, intending to fill the glasses of Savannah and Melissa. Task completed, he sat beside Hayden who was engrossed in a conversation in French with Tara Lewis.

 

Aaron sat back down next to him, “That was trickier than I thought it would be.” 

 

Rossi nodded. “Some of us were obvious. How many besides me would’ve been a black and white photo?”

 

“Damn. I didn’t think of that,” Hotchner said, a smile crossing the stoic look on his face. Rossi gave him a withering glance.

 

“Okay, we’re ready,” JJ stood up. “I have a winner for the Name the Food contest. I have to say I’m really glad I was out of that one. And I’m disappointed, you guys. There were only eight foods to try. And not a single one of you managed to score more than four. The winner, by virtue of the fact that you were the only one to score a measly fifty percent, is Savannah. You correctly identified carrots, strawberries, apples and prunes. Nobody correctly identified either of the two meats, they were lamb and chicken by the way.”

 

Sounds of disgust and upturned noses greeted her. Even though she hadn’t participated in the taste testing, the reactions from the others caused Melissa to vow to make her own food for her babies. 

 

“Anyway, Savannah, your prize,” JJ handed her a wrapped prize gift and turned back to the group. “Okay, now I’m gonna go over the photo contest and Spence and Melissa are going to start opening gifts. Emily, if you would please bring the gifts one at a time, and Pen, you know what to do. Oh and it’s now safe to say the word baby again, that game’s over. Penelope’s the winner, obviously” JJ laughed as she pointed to the pin collection Garcia had amassed. JJ handed Penelope her prize then sat down to go through the papers while Emily handed Melissa the first package.

 

She pulled the ribbons and bows from the gift box and asked Spencer to go get the Scotch tape from the kitchen. Opening the card, she read the message inside silently, smiled and handed the card to Penelope as Spencer returned with the requested tape. Melissa taped the ribbons from the package to the sides of the diaper and stuck the bow on top. She held her creation out in front of her and asked,

 

“What do you think?” 

 

“I think you should put it on,” Emily said.

 

Garcia was shaking her head ‘no.’ 

 

JJ offered her opinion, “I think Spence should wear it.”

 

Savannah dug into the diaper bag and handed over another diaper, and presented them with the most logical suggestion, “Make another one, they should both wear them.”

 

Melissa put the diaper on her head, tying it in place with the ribbons and proceeded to open the gift, telling everybody that it was from Aaron and Jack. She unwrapped a beautiful sterling silver picture frame and baby keepsake book and her eyes immediately filled with tears, “It’s lovely Agent Hotchner, thank you so much!”

 

He smiled and told her he’d pick up another of each before long to which Rossi quipped, “I think there’ll be a lot of that happening.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

The children returned from the backyard. Anna carefully put Muttli back in his kennel and then the three of them stood by the doorway to watch the proceedings. Will returned from checking on Michael who was sitting up in the playpen playing with his toys. He ruffled Henry’s hair as he walked by and then resumed his seat next to JJ. She looked up from her papers for a moment to acknowledge Will telling her Michael was fine, playing quietly with his favourite toys.

 

Next, Melissa opened an enormous box from Garcia, adding the ribbons and bows to the second diaper which she then put on Spencer’s head and tied in place. They were ecstatic to find a car seat and, like Hotchner before her, Garcia also expressed her intention to get a second identical one as she accepted a thank you hug from the mom-to-be.

 

Melissa and Spencer then unwrapped a gift from the Morgans that Melissa truly appreciated. Savannah had told her weeks ago that she made her own baby foods for little Hank Spencer and after witnessing the food game that evening, Melissa was completely convinced this was the way to go. Derek and Savannah had included a blender, a food processor; several cube freezing trays, an enormous array of small reusable jars and a substantial supply of tiny freezer bags. Tucked in under all these things, Melissa found a certificate from a local organic grocer, which indicated a box of fresh organic produce would be delivered to their home weekly for the next two years. 

 

Again, Melissa found herself near tears at the thoughtfulness. Spencer wrapped an arm around her as she composed herself before continuing on to the next gift, from Alex and James. The box contained a huge assortment of books: children’s stories, Fairy tales, classic novels, children’s reference books; and Spencer was excited to see a number of books in foreign languages, most notably Grimm’s fairy tales in the original German. He thanked the Blakes for their thoughtful gift and even more so for taking the time to drive down from Boston to attend the party.

 

Kate and Chris gifted the Reids with a carefully chosen selection of children’s toys, geared towards stimulating baby’s senses and developing motor skills at various stages of infancy. Kate had meticulously included stacking, building and musical toys, activity centers, balls, stuffed animals, board books, rattles, and teething toys to see through the baby’s first year of development. Sitting in the box amongst all the toys was an envelope in which Melissa discovered memberships to the Lego Club and its sister program for younger children.

 

Emily made a quick trip out to her car and came back with a six foot tall Teddy Bear wearing a custom made t-shirt that read ‘My Daddy is a Genius’ and an enormous yellow bow, which was immediately removed from the bear and put on Reid’s diaper hat. 

 

Melissa thought she would burst a blood vessel laughing as she thanked Emily and pointed out that the bear would take up most of the baby’s bedroom.

 

“I’m guessing you don’t want a second one for the other baby?” Emily teased.

 

Tara Lewis stood up and patted the top of the large gift she’d brought and explained that it was going to have to go back to the store for an exchange, as they’d have no use for a single stroller.

 

JJ rose and explained, “I’m sorry, that’s partly my fault. Tara was asking and I told her a nice stroller would be a great idea, but we didn’t factor in the number of passengers it would have!”

 

Melissa and Spencer thanked Tara for her thoughtfulness anyway; Tara promised to bring the replacement by soon and took the bows and ribbons from the box, sticking them to Melissa’s theme hat.

 

They turned their attention to the last huge package in the room. Spencer ripped the paper from it as Melissa affixed the huge bow to Reid’s hat. The box revealed a portable baby bed, which Will had set up before wrapping. It was completely filled up with smaller wrapped packages.

 

“It will take me forever to unwrap all those!” Melissa pointed out. “There must be a hundred packages in here!”

 


	8. Chapter 8

JJ chose two of the smaller packages, handing one each to Melissa and Spencer. They unwrapped little onesies, one in pink and one in blue and looked up at JJ incredulously.

 

“How did you know?” Spencer asked.

 

“I didn’t,” JJ giggled. “Here’s the thing. I got an equal number of girl things and boy things. I figured I had it covered either way. If you had a girl, you could donate all the boy things to a women’s shelter. Or the other way around. That’s how it’s supposed to work. Except as always, Spence has to be unique.” She accepted thank you hugs from Melissa and Spencer and commanded all their attention again.

 

 “Anyway, I can announce the winner of the Name the Baby. And, that would be—“ she paused, “Of course. The winner is Spencer, who correctly identified all fifteen of us,” she handed him the one of the last two prize gifts left in the pile. 

 

There was one last wrapped gift and a large white envelope left in the pile, and Emily took the box and handed it to Melissa. She read the card and handed it to Spencer who passed it on to Garcia,

 

“This is from Section Chief Mateo Cruz,” Melissa informed them all as she opened the box. Inside, she found a handbook and two sets of keys and her jaw dropped as she picked the items up.

 

“Oh my God, an SUV?” she was incredulous; Spencer was speechless.

 

“That little compact car you have will just be too small with three children, Mrs. Reid,” Cruz told her. “I’ll have to take you with me to the dealer to finalise some things, they wanted to know what colour you want it in. Stuff like that.” He winked, “Gotta keep my FBI family safe, and from what I hear about his driving, you’ll wanna keep the husband in the passenger seat,” he teased.

 

Derek Morgan found this funny and laughed until Savannah pointed out he didn’t even have a set of keys for her SUV. 

 

Emily handed the Reids an envelope addressed to them. Melissa opened it up and suddenly reached for Spencer’s arm, he helped her to sit down.

  
“Melissa, honey, what’s wrong?” he was alarmed. She was breathing hard, in and out rapidly and was on the verge of tears.

 

She shook her head, handed him the papers, and managed to squeak out “I can’t. Oh, I’m okay.”

 

He knelt before her to make sure she wasn’t feeling faint or something and she waved him off, “I’m okay, just a little overwhelmed. Spence, read it!”

 

He looked from her to the papers, then to Rossi and then back to the papers before patting Melissa’s knee and rising to his feet to address David Rossi.

 

“Rossi—David—I’m, wow, this is incredible, thank you,” he indicated the papers and everyone was crowding around to find out what was going on. Reid hugged Rossi, then stepped back as Rossi asked, 

 

“May I?”

 

Melissa exchanged a look with Spencer, who nodded at Rossi and murmured, “Go ahead.”

 

“My most recent book is doing exceptionally well. Which it should, seeing as it’s centered around an exceptional person,” he patted Reid on the arm to make sure everyone knew just who he was talking about, then continued, “And since everyone thinks I already have more money than I know what to do with, I decided to spend some of it very wisely. Although apparently, I underestimated by half how much that should be and will call the appropriate party Monday morning to rectify that. Anyway, Baby Reid—the Baby Reids—will have fully funded college educations thanks to how well books about his and her daddy sell.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

His voice regained, Reid again thanked everyone for coming, for their generosity, love and support. He expressed his appreciation to everyone gathered in his living room, reaffirming they were family. 

 

Rossi again made the rounds to fill wine glasses but most guests were opting for coffee and tea by this time of the evening. 

 

“Oh! The raffle,” JJ remembered. “The box is out in the hallway,” she began, rising with the intention of going to get it. Reid was standing by the doorway to the hall and waved her off, 

 

“I’ll get it,” he stepped into the hall, picked up the colourfully decorated box and noticed the courier box sitting beneath it. He grabbed it too, and made his way back into the gathering.

 

“Have Melissa draw a raffle winner, Spence,” JJ indicated the box.

 

“Wow, it’s from Stephen Gideon,” Reid noted the sender address on the other box and tucked it under his arm.

 

He sat down next to Melissa, holding the raffle box out for Melissa to pick a winner. She pulled out a ticket and handed it over to JJ, who picked the last gift back up and held it out as she announced the winner,

 

“Mateo Cruz.” He rose to happily take possession of his prize and accept the congratulations from the others. Will came back into the room carrying Michael who had awakened and started to cry.

 

“Boys are tired,” he whispered to his wife, “Henry’s eyes are drooping too.”

 

“Oh man, it’s way past Anna’s bed time,” Melissa noticed, rising from her seat and making her way to the playroom where she found Anna asleep on the floor. 

 

She returned to the party intending to excuse herself long enough to put Anna to bed and found the guests were all in the process of helping to clean up. She received another round of hugs and expressed her thanks again and in a matter of minutes, she and Spencer were alone in their living room.

 

She kissed him and told him she was just going to put Anna to bed and he shook his head, taking her arm to forestall her.

 

“No, don’t wake her up, I’ll just carry her upstairs and put her in her bed.” 

 

Melissa followed him up the stairs and tucked Anna in after taking her daughter’s shoes and outer clothes off. She tucked Bear in next to Anna and bent to kiss her forehead and Anna didn’t stir.

 

“I’m exhausted too,” Melissa yawned and Spencer walked her to their bed. 

 

“I’m just gonna go downstairs and let Muttli out for a pee once more before we call it a night.”

 

Melissa changed into pajamas and brushed her hair and teeth then crawled into bed and waited for Spencer.

 

A few minutes later, he returned to the room with the courier box. He set it down on the bed next to her, and touched her cheek,

 

“Don’t be falling asleep ‘til I get back,” as he disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes.

 

She was sitting up waiting as he returned, and he climbed into bed next to her, picking up the box.

 

“It’s from Stephen Gideon, Melissa.” He chewed his lip and explained, needlessly as Melissa was well aware who Stephen was, “Jason Gideon’s son.”

 

Spencer opened the box and removed an envelope, handing it to Melissa. Something inside was wrapped in tissue and he lifted it out gingerly, and set it in his lap to unwrap.

 

“ _My father loved you like a son. He made this for me when I was a baby, and I think he’d want you to have it for yours. Warmest congratulations and best wishes, Stephen Gideon,”_ Melissa read aloud.

 

Spencer peeled back the tissue to reveal a crib mobile fashioned from smoothly finished pine with a control unit containing a tiny music box in the center and six little birds circling around. Each bird had been meticulously crafted and painted and moved as though in flight when Spencer held it up after winding the control.

 

“Oh my God, it’s breathtaking,” Melissa said. “Can you tell what kinds of birds they are, Spence?”

 

He looked at each one carefully before answering, “Goldfinch. Hummingbird. Robin. Cardinal. Blue Jay. And this last one, I don’t know but will research it.”

 

 The music box played a tinkling piece of music that Spencer didn’t recognise, but they both smiled when they heard the singing of birds intertwined with the music. They were both spellbound by the sheer beauty of the birds, the detail was astounding and each little bird seemed alive. 

 

“This will be stunning hanging over our children’s crib,” Melissa predicted, sliding her arm around Spencer and laying her head against his chest.

 

He laid the mobile back in the box and moved it off the bed onto the night table, and then pulled Melissa into his arms.

 

“It will, you’re right.” She looked up into his eyes and their lips met in a loving kiss. 

 

He laid her down on the bed and then moved beside her to take her in his arms.

 

“What an incredible day. We are so lucky, all those wonderful gifts from all our thoughtful friends. And even better: Anna. Muttli. And a son and a daughter on the way,” Spencer was dangerously close to choking up and he tightened his arms around Melissa.

 

She snuggled against him, running her hands along his chest and added “And best of all. You. And me.”

 

 

-fin-

 


End file.
